Writing Samples

Coffee’s Story –My blog

I sketch how coffee came to our shores. I begin by telling about frolicking sheep. Seriously.

Greeting Card Collection—Amazon

I review a card collection that saved me from social embarrassment on more than one occasion.

Poncho Cape—Amazon

I review a poncho cape. I never thought I’d wear one but then got offered one to review and am now a little in love.

Trump and the Question of Representation—My blog

This is a thought piece that (rather shamelessly) uses Trump as the hook.  Here, I try to sketch out the different things we mean when we assert that someone does or does not “represent” us.

Show Some Humility—My blog

I talk about how we fund mental health and addiction treatment.  And how the way the money works affects the care people get.

Teach Hope—My blog

I talk about the kind of training that makes for good therapists and suggest some ways we might get there.

Making Retraining Work—My blog

In March, The Atlantic ran a whole series explaining that traditional retraining programs don’t work.  In this essay, I suggest (based on California’s successful mental health cooperatives programs) that retraining programs can work if they are tailored to the worker and the local economy. 

What Is Good Healthcare?—My blog

I talk about what makes care good from the patient’s point of view.